


The Phantom Thieves Enforcer

by Drakon54



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Drake has no social skills, Everything’s chill, Gen, Help, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, More tags will be added as it goes on, My First Work in This Fandom, Please Don't Hate Me, WILL be reworked, Why Did I Write This?, and no sleep schedule, don’t @ me, im trying, please comment I need validation, so. Basically me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakon54/pseuds/Drakon54
Summary: When Drake was accepted as a foreign exchange student, he expected it to be boring. What he got was very different. Not his first time to fight crime as a criminal, though.





	1. The Start of a New Life

**(4/9 Afternoon, Airport)**

Drake walked off the plane to see signs with words that he could barely understand and heard people speak a language that he could only make out a couple of words. Wandering around the airport, he eventually found a place to sit. Bringing out his phone, he typed out a quick message to his uncle.

**Drk:** dude where r u?

Sending the message, he put his phone back in his pocket when he felt his stomach growl, bringing a few questioning eyes to him. Cheeks turning a bit pink, he quickly got up from his seat and jogged towards a nearby fast food place and walked in.

"Welcome to Big Bang Burger! We're open 24 hours a day because there's no day or night in space!" the cashier said with enthusiasm that he could instantly tell was fake. No one sounds  _ that _ enthusiastic and not be faking it. At least, not anyone that he knows of now. 

_ 'Now's not the time to think about it,' _ he thought, shaking his head. It happened, he did what he did, he paid the price, that chapter of his life is now over. Walking up to the cashier, he took one look at the menu and already felt his brain not work for a second. 

“What will you have, sir?” the receptionist asked, snapping him out of his state of confusion. Shit, did he zone out in the middle of ordering?! Nevertheless, he had to give an answer. So he just went with something simple. Something that's comforting.

"Uh, I'll just have a burger with fries and a medium soda," he said, stumbling a bit on his words. Nodding, the cashier put down his order and set down a receipt with a number in front of him. Taking the receipt, he went to grab a seat at a nearby empty table and brought out his phone to check it while eating. Seeing the notification of a text from his uncle, he brought up the message.

**Unc. Jack:** waiting for you, ya dosser

**Drk** : oh fuck off with that. you know that I'm new to Japan

**Unc. Jack:** I'm still gonna make fun of that

Rolling his eyes at him, he finished his lunch ( he hadn’t eaten anything for the entire fucking flight and he was  _ starving _ ), grabbed his stuff, and walked out of the restaurant. 

Dodging and weaving through the crowd, he finally found the person he was looking for. The person that he’ll be living with for the year. And said person was currently messing around on their phone, he decided to freak him out a bit.

Pulling his hood over his head, he silently walked through the crowd, weaving through it like a needle through cloth.

"Hey, Uncle Jack," he said suddenly, startling his uncle. Throwing a punch at him on instinct, Drake dodged it, stumbling back a bit. "Yeesh, the hell are you trying to do? Knock me out?” he snarked, a small smile on his face. 

“Shut it, kid. You just startled me, is all," Jack said, throwing a pair of keys his way before climbing into the driver side of his car. Throwing his stuff into the backseat, he climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself in. Driving out of the airport parking lot, Drake watched the city of Shibuya-his home for the next year or so-fly past the car from the window. 

"... So. I heard about why you got arrested," Jack said suddenly, making Drake tense up in response. "It was classified as a crime of passion, wasn't it? Spur of the moment."

"...Yeah, it was," he simply responded, pushing the resurfacing memories back. Leaning back in his seat, he took out his phone and started to scroll through his phone when he found a weird new app on his phone. One that he hasn't really seen before.

_ 'Weird app. Pretty sure I don't need it,' _ he thought, putting the app in the trash and goes back to watching the city fly by.

(*)

Pulling into what he assumed was a tight alleyway, Jack turned off the engine.

"Well, here we are," he said, leaning back into his seat, "This is my place and where you'll be staying."

Both of them climbed out of the car to see a two story building with a sign on it that read 'Jack's Combat Gym' . Raising an eyebrow, Drake gave his cousin a confused look as Jake pulled out his stuff from the backseat and walked inside. Following him, he saw a room with a black, probably padded, floor with the walls being lined up with all sorts of wooden weaponry. Walking up to it, he saw a wooden machete and went to pick it up when he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw his uncle looking at him with a sly grin on his face before walking to a wooden gladius.

“So, you want to try fighting with a machete?” Jack asked, picking up the gladius and twirling it in his hand. Picking up the machete, Drake immediately swung it at his uncle's head, only to be parried and knocked down to the ground by a forceful kick. 

"Impulsive, much? That's gonna bite you in the ass, you know," Jack joked as Drake groaned. Rolling his eyes, Jack picked up the groaning redhead and walked up the stairs.

_ 'This is going to be an interesting year,' _ he thought.

**(4/10, Morning)**

Drake groaned as his alarm suddenly blared, waking him up from his sleep. Slamming the snooze button, he started to drift back to sleep before his bedroom door slammed open.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! You have to meet your new principal!" Jack shouted, getting a pillow thrown at his head in response. Smacking the pillow out of the air, Jack simply laughed at the sight of his nephew before walking off. 

_ 'God, this is gonna suck,' _ he thought as he finally climbed out of bed, mentally preparing himself for whatever the hell is going to happen today.

(*)

Drake stared in shock at what he could only describe as an absolute  _ unit _ of a principal. A small part of him wanted to ask him just where the hell his neck was, but he fought back that urge.

"Well then, I hope you enjoy being a student of Shujin Academy," Principal Kobayakawa said in a cheerful tone. Glancing at his new homeroom teacher, Kawakami, he felt a bit annoyed at her dismissive attitude, but pushed it aside. He'll just chalk it up to being tired. Simply giving them a quick nod, they both walked out of the office and started to leave the building. Climbing into the car, they drove off when he suddenly felt  pain in his skull.

"Ugh,my head," he mumbled, rubbing his temples to try to alleviate the pain. Suddenly, the p disappeared. It was almost as if the pain never even happened. Immediately, something felt off about that.

_ 'What the hell?' _ he thought. That's weird. Pain doesn't just go away instantly, yet that seemed to happen to him. He shook his head. Okay, not the time to think about it. It was probably just his mind messing with him.

**(4/10, Evening)**

Flopping onto his bed, Drake stared at his ceiling, the days events running back in his head. Eventually, he brought out his phone to see that weird app again.

_ 'This thing again?' _ he thought, furrowing his eyebrows. He could've sworn he deleted the damn thing yesterday.  _ 'What does it even do?' _   he thought as he pressed the app. Nothing. Glaring at the app, he pressed it again, a bit harder this time. Again, nothing. He was about to delete the busted app when he started to hear something. 

"What the hell?" he whispered, climbing out of his bed and walking to where the sound is coming from. Walking down the stairs, he saw something absolutely shocking.

A being of blue fire stood in front of him, batlike wings protruding from its back. The creature stared at it, eye sockets glowing with orange flame. 

_ 'What the hell is that?!' _ his mind screamed. He tried to move his feet away, but everything in his body froze. The creature's flames suddenly grew as what he could only be a grin grew on its face. Suddenly, he flames pulled away to show himself, with his eyes being a sick shade of red and wearing a maniacal grin on his face. And just like that, it disappeared in front of him.

Shakily getting up from his spot, he silently walked to his room, deleted the hell-app that summoned whatever the  _ fuck _ that was, and went to bed.


	2. The Palace and Awakening

**(4/11 Morning)**

Drake dashed through the crowded street, hood over his head as rain pelted him. It just had to rain on his first day of his new school.

_ 'Lucky me,' _ he thought sarcastically as he ran under an awning, using it as a shelter against the rain. Pulling out his phone to see if he was close to his destination, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw a guy with black curly hair, only a few inches shorter than him, was looking at him in awe and surprise. 

“Uh, do you need something?” he asked, feeling a bit unnerved by the dude’s stare. Besides, it’s not every day where you get stared at by someone in a country you just arrived in two days ago. 

“Oh! Sorry about that. I just noticed your…." he said, before pointing to his hair. Realizing what he meant, he silently nodded and went back to his phone to see that app. Again.  _ For the third fucking time. _

_'You have_ got _to be kidding me,'_ he thought, giving his phone a flat stare as he deleted the app for what he hoped was the last time. Suddenly, a gray car pulled up to them. The window rolled to show a middle-aged man with what could only be the _most chiseled jawline he has ever seen_. Seriously, it looked like a fucking square. _'That_ _is the ugliest motherfucker I have ever seen,'_ he thought as he stared at the man.

"Do you need something?" the man asked, bringing Drake back into the realm of the living. Shit, he was zoning out again!

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine," he said, snapping out of it. Shrugging, the man rolled up his window when he noticed someone, a girl with blonde hair, sitting in the passenger seat, looking extremely uncomfortable. Almost like she doesn't want to be there. Watching the car as it drove off, Drake turned his head to Curly, a confused look on his face, getting a shrug in response. Suddenly, someone ran past them in the direction of the car.

"Damn! Screw that pervy teacher," a guy with blonde hair grumbled, stopping a few inches away from them.

_ 'Pervy teacher? What the hell is he talking about?' _ Drake thought, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Just what the hell was he talking about? Feeling two stares at the back of his head, the blonde turned his head to see both of them staring at him with looks of confusion. "What do you want? You two planning on ratting me out of Kamoshida?" Blondie growled at the two, giving both of them a mean look. Walking up to him, Drake noticed that there was a bit of black in Blondie's hair. But now wasn't the time for that.

"Listen dude, me and Curly over here have no clue about who the hell you're talking about," Drake said, putting his hands up. Blondie backed off a bit, still harboring a throbbing hate boner for the dude.

"Who's Kamoshida?" Curly asked, grabbing the attention of Blondie. 

"The guy in the car? That was Kamoshida. How do you  _ not _ know him?" Blondie asked, a surprised look on his face. Turning his head to him, Drake simply shrugged, signaling that sorry dude, neither of them knew what the hell he was talking about. "You two  _ are _ Shujin students, right? I mean, you two  _ are _ wearing the uniform," Blondie said.

" Oh, you go to Shujin too?" Curly asked, making Blondie’s eyes widen in realization and Drake snorted in laughter at Blondie’s reaction . 

“A-anyways! If you two are new, then that explains why you don't know them," Blondie stumbled, venom starting to drip into his voice a bit, "the dude acts like he's king of the castle! God, it just-!" Ryuji growled before he seemingly started to choke an invisible person for a few seconds before calming down.

" _ So _ , now that you've gotten all of that out of your system, you mind helping us get to school?" Drake asked. Blondie simply nodded and walked off in a certain direction, both of them following him.

(*)

"... Okay, what in the bloody fuck am I looking at?" Drake asked, trying to process the shit he was currently looking at. First off, the sky's a really sick shade of red, which was weird and worrying in its own right. What currently had his attention, however, was that  _ there's a giant fucking castle where the school was supposed to be. _

"I swear we went the right way. This is where Shujin should be," Blondie said, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Curly asked. 

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Drake said, shrugging before walking up to the entrance, Blondie and Curly following him.

Walking into the entrance, they looked around, taking everything in.

"Hey, Blondie. You said this was supposed to be the school right? So, unless there's some medieval fantasy party none of us know about-" Drake started when they started to hear the sound of clanking metal. Turning their head, they saw someone decked out in armor and wearing a blue mask walk up to them. 

"Uh, hey there, bud. What's up?" Drake asked, slightly surprised. No response. 

"That's a nice costume. Made it yourself?" Blondie asked, walking up to the armored person. Again, no response. Seeing another armored knight walk up to the trio, Drake backed up, feeling a bit unnerved. Both of the knights had dead, empty eyes that just rubbed him the wrong way. Bumping into something, he turned his head to see another knight standing behind. One by one, more knights started to surround the three.

"H-hey, what's going on?" Blondie asked, the situation now dawning on him. One of the knights struck Blondie in the head with the pommel of their sword, making his body crumple to the ground. Another knight struck Curly in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

Seeing two bodies in front of him, memories started resurfacing in Drake's mind. Images started to flash in front of his eyes, making his body stiff up. Feeling a sudden pain in the back of his head, he collapsed onto the ground.

**"Take them away! Let King Kamoshida deal with these intruders!"** one of the knights said, voice sounding like it was going through a voice changer. Hearing those words, he finally fell into unconsciousness.

(*)

Slowly waking up, Drake groaned as he felt a sudden shock of pain go through his body.  

_ ‘My head,’ _ he mentally groaned, rubbing his head. Just where the hell is he? Looking around, he found himself a cold, damp cell. _ ‘Another cell…’ _ he thought solemnly. It was just like before. Locked up in a cell. Curling up into a small ball, he listened to the dripping of water.

**“You seek redemption, correct?”** a voice suddenly said, catching him off guard. Who was that? Uncurling, he looked around the cell, finding no one else but him in the cell. Probably just his mind messing with him. 

_ ‘It’s probably nothing. Just hearing voices that aren’t there,’ _ he thought, shaking his head. He’s probably just going a bit crazy.

**“That night, in the alleyway. You lost the two people who you held dear, haven’t you?”** the voice said again. Going stiff at that statement, his brain started to run a mile a minute, trying to piece together who that voice belongs to. He knew that it sounded oddly familiar, like he heard it for his entire life. But at the same time, it sounded so foreign. Like he heard it before, but also haven't.  **"You were the one who was blamed for their deaths.** **_You_ ** **suffered for it when you were innocent!”** As the voice said that, Drake felt a pulsating pain go through his skull.  **“I am thou, thou art I. That day, the man you were before died. Now, rebellion shall run through your veins!”**

Letting out a bellowing scream, he climbed to his feet, his face feeling like it was melting.  Grabbing his head, he felt his fingertips catch onto something on his face. Pulling at whatever what, he felt it tear at the skin on his face. Regardless, he kept pulling, ignoring the pain. He doesn’t care about the pain,  _ just get it off! _ Screaming, he finally tore the thing off, causing a tornado of blue flames to surround him. The screaming slowly started to change, morphing into a demonic laugh. The flames dissipating, Drake stood in the cell with a whole new look. Wearing a denim vest over  a gray hooded shirt, jeans with knee pads black denim sneakers, and biker gloves. Grabbing the bars of the cell door, the bars started to turn orange as he moves them away from each other. Climbing through the opening, he saw three warriors, one of them in golden armor and was armed with a spear while the other two were wearing chainmail and armed with an arming sword and crossbow, turn the corner. 

Seeing him, the swordsman rushed him, blade raised. Feeling a weight in his hand, he looked down to see a rusted machete. Looking back up, he saw that the swordsman was upon him. Arming sword raised, the swordsman swung at him. Dodging the swing, he backed up a few feet, putting distance between him and the swordsman.

Letting out a guttural roar, the swordsman started to glow a dark red aura and lunged towards him. Dodging a swing at his neck, he felt a quick, sharp pain go into his shoulder. Jumping back a few feet, he glanced to see that there was a crossbow bolt in his shoulder. Pulling the bolt out, he dashed forward, machete at the ready to tear into flesh.

Roaring, he swung the machete with tremendous force, digging into the side of the swordsman. Twisting his body, he pulled the blade out of the swordsman’s body and, with a mighty swing, cleaved the soldier's head clean off. Noticing a bolt coming at him, he quickly dodged the bolt when two sudden shots rang out. Seeing both the spearman and crossbowman heads explode, he turned around to see just who the hell did that.

**"You're lucky you summoned me at that moment. Name's Red Hood,"** a man said, wearing dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, a bloody biker jacket, and a black domino mask. Stepping forward, blue flames started to surround Red Hood.  **“Now then, don’t you have to look for the other two? Because I think that they might need your help.”** Suddenly, the small flames surrounding Red Hood turned into a pillar of blue flame, engulfing him entirely. Just as quickly, the flames died off, showing a floating hockey mask, covered in a spectral blue glow.

_ ‘What the hell?!’ _ he thought, backing away from the mask. Almost instantaneously, the mask snapped onto his face, knocking him on his ass. This time however, it felt less painful and more calming, like he had the mask on for years.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he quickly got up from his spot and ran away from the sounds.

(*)

Running into a room, he slammed the door shut and looked around for an exit. Seeing an open window, he did the only logical thing at the moment and jumped out. Realizing at that moment just what the hell he did, he screamed as he barreled towards the ground. Bracing himself for the feeling of being turned into a pancake, he prayed to whatever god was listening to keep him alive.

**“Agi!” BOOM!**

Feeling a sudden shock to his system, he opened his eyes to see that he was standing on the ground, completely unharmed. Patting his body, he felt that he was back in his school uniform. 

“That is so fucking weird, and I hope to god I never come here again,” he muttered under his breath, quickly walking to the entrance. As he passed through the entrance, the world around started to morph and change. And just like that, he disappeared from the castle grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second chapter of PT from America. Thanks to the people who give a fuck of this shit story! Love you all!
> 
> Edit: his PT outfit and mask :https://pre00.deviantart.net/de68/th/pre/i/2015/109/d/2/vigilante_project_cover_by_h4125-d6txqdu.jpg  
> https://aa1a5178aef33568e9c4-a77ea51e8d8892c1eb8348eb6b3663f6.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/p/full/f1814ffc-3dac-4f06-adf3-f0badd092bfe.jpg
> 
> Edit: Red hood looks like this https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/8/8b/Red_Hood_and_the_Outlaws_Vol_2_27_Textless_Variant.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181012171259


	3. Shujin

When Drake finally got out of the castle, he didn’t waste any time and ran towards the school.

_ ‘Shit, I’m gonna be late!’  _ Drake thought frantically as he dashed to his homeroom, pushing and shoving people out of his way. He slammed the door open with enough force to almost make it fall off its hinges.

“I'm so sorry I’m late! I was in a place and I got lost an-and I am so sorry, Ms. Kawakami!” he spluttered, tired from pulling a small marathon. He noticed that everyone beside Kawakami, who was putting her head in her hand, had no idea on what the fuck he just said.

“Just, go to your seat. We’ll talk later,” she huffed, pointing to the back of the class, not ready to deal with any of his shit. He quickly and quietly shuffled towards the desk, ignoring the rumors about why he was late and sat down in his seat.

**(*)**

When school finally ended, he immediately left his seat and was ready to rush out the door only to be stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Now that class is over, explain, Now,” Ms. Kawakami ordered, giving him a glare. After weighing his options, he did the only thing that would be even remotely believable: he lied. Well, less lied, more ‘bent the truth’. He told her that he wasn’t able to read the signs that well (which was true), so it took him awhile to get here. He left out the castle and other things, because who in their right mind would believe  _ that _ ?

“Okay. Just making sure that you’re not doing anything illegal,” Kawakami thanked, giving him a small smile which quickly turned to a worried look. “By the way, be careful around Sakamoto and the transfer student.” He simply nodded in response.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful,” he assured. And with that, Kawakami left him be. A minute later, he was approached by Vulgar. To be fair, Drake isn’t really hard to miss if you know what you’re looking for. He is the only person who wears a blue shirt under his blazer.

“Hey. Meet us on the roof,” Vulgar whispered, before walking up the stairs. Drake’s curiosity got the better of him, making him feel obligated to follow.

**(*)**

When he reached the roof, he was introduced to Curly, also known as Ren, and Vulgar, also known as Ryuji.

“So, let’s be real here. We all saw that castle, right?” Ryuji asked, not wasting any time. Drake and Ren both nodded. It was extremely hard to forget that.

“So I’m not crazy? There has to be some other explanation!” Ryuji growled. He couldn’t blame him. After seeing that, he would want some answers himself.

After much conversation, they all agreed to meet up after school to look for the castle.

**(4/12)After School**

“Come on, man. It’s been three hours. I don’t think we’re gonna find it, so can we just stop? ” Drake begged after ending up at the school for the  _ fifth fucking _ time. After taking multiple different routes, they all ended up at their school, and not the castle.

“Wait. Hey, Ren! Didn’t you have an app open?!” Ryuji exclaimed, apparently putting something together. “Let me see your phone!” Ren reluctantly handed over his phone, which was grabbed out of his hand.

“Huh. What’s this weird-looking app thing?” Ryuji queried.

“Cute logo, huh?” Ren jested.

“I wouldn’t really call it that,” he muttered. Drake at that point wasn’t even paying attention, mainly just messing around with a lighter that he keeps hidden on his body.

“Aha, so it is a navigational app! It even has your search history!” Ryuji cheered, catching Drake's attention.

“Hm? Oh, congrats man!” Drake said.

“Alright, all I have to do is press this, and,” Ryuji said, pressing a button. When he pressed it, the world started changing. Morphing into a twisted version of reality. The school started warping into the castle, with the sky turning a sickly shade of red.

“This is the castle from yesterday,” Ren stated. Drake rolled his eyes at that. No shit, what did he think it was, White Castle?!

“H-Holy shit! Your clothes!” Ryuji exclaimed. Both Drake and Ren looked themselves over and, sure enough, their clothes changed to what they were wearing in the castle. 

“What? You jelly?” Ren teased, making Drake laugh.

“N-no I’m not!” Ryuji denied, a blush growing on his face. That only made Drake laugh even harder.

“Will you shut up!?” A voice shouted. A cat-looking… _ thing _ walked up to them. 

_ ‘What the fuck? It’s a cat. That can talk. Why?!’ _ Drake thought, trying to make sense of what the hell he’s looking at.

“Well? Come on!” Ren shouted, making Drake snap out of making himself shut down. He started towards the castle, trying to catch up with the others.


	4. Skull of Thunder and Lightning

They climbed through a vent and started exploring the castle. To be honest, when he was rampaging through the place, he never got a look at how swanky it was, if not  _ insanely gaudy _ . Still, burn marks and bullet holes littered the castle and dungeon.

“Shit, man. What happened here?” Ryuji said, looking around in shock.

“Fuckers got in my goddamn way. Had to deal with ‘em somehow,” Drake muttered, barely audible. After exploring a good chunk of the dungeon, they ran into a guard patrol. It hasn’t noticed them yet. Before the cat, whose name is Morgana, could say anything, Drake dashed into action. He slid underneath the knight, grabbing one of its legs, and flipped it before punching it, cracking the mask. It convulsed on the ground before turning into a group of Shadows with two Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniacs and a Beguiling Girl.

**_“You want to have some fun, huh? I can do that,”_** Red Hood rang in his head. Drake grinned at that, putting a hand on his face.

“Red Hood! Agi and Snap!” he shouted, throwing the mask to the side, summoning his Persona. A pistol appeared in Drake's left hand and a Molotov in his right hand. He immediately knew what to do with them. He threw it into the group, lighting one of them on fire and burning it to a husk. Not letting up, he shot another, getting a hit in.

“Arsene! Cleave!” Ren shouted, summoning what Drake assumed was his Persona. The monster, Arsene, dashed towards one of them. Using the blades on its shoes, it slashed at the weakened Shadow, killing it. The final Shadow was knocked down by the cat, whose name when he asked was apparently Morgana, making an opening to surround it. Not wanting to talk, mostly due to equal parts adrenaline and bloodlust, he threw his gun into the air and slammed his fist into its face, sending it flying into a wall, killing it instantly. The impact made a crack in the wall, showing the force that was put into it. He calmly walked past the others, his face covered by the mask.

“Come on, let's go,” Drake said-no,  _ ordered _ , to the others. They logically followed through with it.

They fought a few more Shadows and as they went through, it became evident that he was enjoying this in a way.

“Everyone! Raise security!” Kamoshida’s voice rang throughout the castle. Morgana started running in a certain direction.

“Come on! I know a place we can wait for the heat to die off!” They didn’t really ask any questions and followed.

(*)

Drake groaned as he was lying face first on the cold, hard ground. He now realized that after stressing your body with amped-up punches and kicks, the kickback hurts like a motherfucker.

**_“Is he going to be okay?”_** Arsene asked. Everyone was staring at the body with various forms of worry. Red Hood, on the other hand, simply gave a light kick to his ribs, eliciting a groan.

 ** _“Eh, he’ll live. I’ll just make sure that he gets healed up,”_** Red Hood replied, plopping down next to Drake. He put his hands out, and small green flames covered his hands. ** _“Don’t worry about us.”_** With that, they reluctantly agreed and left the two alone. Red Hood placed his hands on Drake's back, consuming his body in flame. After a minute of this, the fire died to a Drake that looked better than ever and was just getting up.

“What the hell…what happened?” he groaned.

**_“You’re an idiot. A giant. Fucking. Idiot,”_** Red Hood stated, giving him a smack upside the head. **_“You have zero self-preservation instinct.”_** Another smack upside the head. **_“You are way too used to doing things on your own.”_** Another smack. **_“You barely do anything safely.”_** Another smack. **_”You don’t know how to react to positive feedback. Hell, you don’t even know how to react to someone who’s being a nice person! I’m you, and even I’M in shock on what you’re doing to yourself! So pull! Yourself! Together!”_** Multiple smacks were given to his skull before Drake grabbed his Persona’s hand, responding with a punch square to his jaw.

“Shut. The hell. Up. I’m just not used to that,” Drake growled, giving a glare that would traumatize any lesser man.

**_“Well then. Let’s work on that, got it?”_** Drake gave his Persona a curt nod. **_“Alright. Let’s get going.”_** And with that, his Persona disappeared in a pillar of flame. His mask returned to his face, giving off a faint feeling of warmth. He got up from his resting spot and started walking towards where he hopes the others went. It was at that point in time where life decided to be a bitch, making eight knights appear in his way. He growled, picking up speed before using a nearby wall to boost himself towards his target. What he expected to happen was he would break his leg due to trying to kick fucking _metal._ What happened was that he _gave a flaming kick to the knight’s head, crumpling it and sending it flying into a goddamn wall._

He then not-so-gracefully face planted onto the ground.

“Holy shit! What the hell did I just do?!” he screamed, which got the attention of the other guards. They suddenly started convulsing, morphing into their true forms.

**_“Okay, this is bad. But it could be worse.”_ ** _ Immediately _ after, as if life saw it as a dare, two giant Shadows, covered head to toe in gold armor, appeared and morphed into two knights on horseback.

_ ‘You had to jinx it! Ya had to!’ _ he thought (more like mentally screamed), getting up from his downed state. He sidestepped a charge from one of the Shadows, landing on a wall. He started to dodge most of the attacks that were thrown his way, barely able to get any footing.

**_“Check your back pockets. NOW!”_ ** Not really planning to argue, he checked his back pockets to two things that fit his hands perfectly. He brought out two custom Glocks and started firing while jumping around, not really thinking about where guns came from and more worried about  _ living. _

(*)

After  _ that _ whole shitstorm, it finally hit him that  _ holy shit, he summoned a pair of Glocks from the fucking ether. _

**_“You surprised? It’s a skill that I have.”_ ** Red Hood rang, sounding awfully boastful. He just ignored that particular comment as finally decided,  _ fuck this _ , and started walking towards the entrance, officially  _ done _ with today. 

(*)

When he got back to the entrance, he was met with a surprise. The others were there, seemingly waiting for him. The biggest shock was Ryuji, wearing a pair of matching black jacket and pants with knee pads, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves, and a skull mask that seemed almost normal on him.

“Hey, Drake’s alive!” Ren cheered. Not responding, mainly due to spite and being tired, he simply walked past them, disappearing back into reality.

“Did we do something?” Ren asked. He simply got a shrug in response.


	5. Making A Connection

**(4/12) Evening**

When he entered the apartment, he saw his cousin and what looked to be friends. They were drinking tea and having a conversation. One was a woman who seemed to be around her twenties, wearing a green and white dress with a large red ribbon. Sitting to her left was a young man who had wild pink hair and was wearing a gray hoodie and blue jeans. Sitting to the right was another young woman who was wearing a dark purple hoodie over a jean skirt.

“Oh, hey. You’re back!” Hajime acknowledged. “This is Mikan Tsumiki, this is Sonia Nevermind, and this is Kazuichi Soda. I call him Kaz. They’re friends of mine. Guys, this is my cousin, Drake.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Drake greeted, giving them a small smile.

“Hey, man! Nice to meet ‘cha!” the pink-haired man, which he assumed was Kaz, greeted him, giving a smile.

“Well then, I’m gonna go use the bathroom,” Hajime sighed as he was getting up from his seat. “Don’t have too much fun without me! Oh and Drake? I figured since you like nurses, Mikan would be up your alley,” he teased. He left, cackling at Mikan’s beet red face and Drake spewing constant profanities at him.

“Don’t worry. Hajime does that for most of us as well, nothing to get upset over,” Sonia assured. Drake sat down, still blushing like crazy.

“So, what’s in the bag?” Kaz asked, noticing the grocery bag.

“Oh, it’s a few things that I bought. A few books about medicine and biology, a couple about the history of ninjas, a few on how to speak Japanese. Most of them are manga or comics, though,” Drake answered, grabbing the attention of Mikan, who was staring at her cup.

“O-Oh! I could help with that! I’m a nurse, so I can help with the biology! I don’t want to be a bother, though,” she stammered, face still red.

“No worries, it would actually be a good thing. I don't have any medical knowledge, so it would be a help. Can I get your number so we can talk about it sometime?” he asked, giving a genuine smile. She nodded, bringing out her phone to trade contact info.

“Drake, you sly dog! Trying to get in her pants, I see!”

“Hajime, I swear to  _ fucking _ god! If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll shut it for ya!”

The others started laughing at the spectacle of an angry redhead chasing his cousin.

**(4/13) Morning, Class 2-D**

“As you know, today is the volleyball rally,” Ms. Kawakami said. And that was all Drake needed to know, blocking out the rest of the world and diving into his own head.

_ ‘Hey, Red Hood? You there?’ _ he thought, not planning on getting a response.

**_“Yeah, what’s up? In the middle of watching Lucifer,”_ ** Red Hood asked, sounding bored. Drake could imagine him sitting on a couch, watching TV while drinking Diet Coke.

_ ‘Wait, what? What do you mean-ya know what? I don’t wanna know. Do you feel…different?’ _

**_“I don’t think so, why? What’s wrong?”_ **

_ ‘When I woke up this morning, something felt…off. It felt like I had a hole in me that was closed. And when I burned my hand-‘ _ he was off by Red Hood’s laughter ringing in the back of his head.

**_“Oh yeah, I remember that! Man, that was hilarious! God, you’re so…fucking…stupid…”_ ** the Persona laughed, slowing down as he realized that he’s the user.

_ ‘Anyway~, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would? And it was boiling water? The fuck’s up with that?!’ _ he asked mentally, hoping for some sort of explanation.

Nothing. He sighed at that. Of course, he wouldn’t get a fucking answer.

**(4/13) Afternoon, Rooftop**

Drake was hanging around the rooftop of Shujin, listening to music, following the beat. He isn’t that much of a sports fan, to be honest. He can tolerate most things about sports, but he hates certain things about sports. One of the main things was the riots. Rioting against cruel and corrupt people exploiting their power? He could get behind that. Hell, he would start the riots himself. Rioting because of a fucking game? That's dumb as shit.

His favorite song started to play, sucking him into a world of movement. Little did he know of the person that was watching from the entrance to the roof.

A loud slam came from the entrance, making him snap out of his trance. He twisted his head towards the noise, a mixed look of surprise and shock on his face. Who the hell is he and how long has he been there?!

After a few minutes of awkward silence passed, she got up. She had brown hair and eyes the color of chocolate.

"Hi, I'm Hikaru Masami! You're Red, right?" She asked, making him raise his brows.

"Yeah, that's me. But my name is Drake, not Red. What do you want?" he grunted, putting up his thuggish mask to try and scare them off.

"I heard some music coming from the staircase, so I decided to check it out," she answered in a heartbeat.

"Yeah and now you know that I can dance. And that's-"

**_"Better. Person,"_ ** Red Hood cut off, giving a stern tone. He sighed, letting down the facade. He gave them a kind smile, which carried a different weight from his regular scowl.

"Well, you know now that the foreigner can dance. Must be a nice surprise, huh?” he sighed. 

**_"Hey, you should ask about Kamoshida and the beatings. I've been talking with Arsene and Kidd, and their users don't have anything_ ** ," Red Hood said. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden request, but decided not to bother questioning it.

"Say, I couldn't help but notice the rumors about the volleyball team. What's up with that?" Drake asked, catching Hikaru off guard. 

"O-oh! So you heard about the rumor. Well, it's just a rumor, right? It's not true. Besides, even if it was, rumors come and go like mad," Hikaru said, trying to make it seem like it's not a big deal. 

_ 'Bullshit. If there wasn't some amount of truth in it,  it wouldn't fucking exist in the first place, _ ' he thought, but decided to keep that to himself.

"Yeah, I was curious about the rumors, that's all," Drake replied. "Anyhow, thanks for telling me what you could. See ya later, then." 

After that small chat, he decided to talk to a few other people about the rumors. They all either avoided the question or just denied it.

**(4/13 After School)**

As he was walking out of the school, he was stopped by none other than Ryuji and Ren.

“Hey, we’re planning on hanging out tomorrow. Do you want to join us?” Ren asked. Drake raised a confused eyebrow at that, because he never really thought about hanging out with anyone at this school. Or any school he went to.

“Eh, sure, why not? I don't really have anything better to do," Drake agreed. They gave each other their contact info and went on their way.

  
  



	6. Soul of Fire

**(4/13 Evening)**

Drake flopped onto his bed, tiredness slowly consuming his mind. He was about to sleep right there when a sudden buzz came from his phone. He checked it to see that he was added to a group chat. He checked the chat to see what was going on.

**Ryj** : Hey, this doesn't make any sense.

**Ryj** : The principal and even the parents know the abuse.

**Ryj** : Why ain't anyone speaking up!?

**Ren** : Because volleyball.

**Drk** : Merrit. 

**Drk** : Getting recognition means getting money.

**Ryj** : So, it's basically because Kamoshida got the volleyball famous, yeah?

**Drk** : Ya hit the nail straight on the head. 

**Ryj** : Even so, that doesn't give him the right to do whatever he wants!

**Ryj** : He's beating kids up and all they're allowed to do is endure.

**Ryj** : And that follower of his doesn't give a single shit.

_ 'Follower? The hell is he talking about?' _ he thought, starting to get a little confused.

**Drk** : Follower? The hell are you talking about?

**Ryj** : Ann Takamaki. Ren, you met her at the courtyard, remember?

**Ren** : Wasn't paying all that much attention.

**Ryj** : Come on, guys! She's in your class.

**Ryj** : Ugh, what a load of bull!

**Ryj** : I can't let it end like this.

**Ryj** : I'm gonna try and find someone who knows what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow.

**Ryj** : Just you watch, I ain't giving up!

**Drk** : You go ahead and do that. G'night.

And like that, Drake went to bed, having more questions than answers, but decided to leave it for now.

**(4/13 ???)**

As Drake groggily opened his eyes, he was met with the site of a near-exact copy of himself. It took him a minute to process just what he's looking at before it clicked. The result of which was a full minute of pure, unadulterated screaming, cursing and overall confusion as to what the fuck is going on.

**_"So, you done yet or what?"_ ** the copy asked. Drake nodded, still internally freaking out.

"So, who or  _ what _ are you?" Drake asked. The copy smiled and then spontaneously burst into a being made of pure flames. 

"What the hell?! What is happening?!" he screamed. The copy, which is now on  _ fucking fire, _ started to walk towards him. So as much as he wanted to run, he could barely move. 

The body of fire suddenly stopped in front of him and put its hand on his face. He grimaced, expecting to feel hot, searing pain from, you know, fire, but instead felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see it putting its hand out, almost to help him. He grabbed its hand and almost instantly he felt like his whole body was on fire. 

Instantly, the pain turned into something else. Something more...freeing. It felt like he could take on the world! 

**_"Now, let me show you what you can do!"_ **

Suddenly, a horde of Shadows started to surround him. Drake felt something heavy in his hand. He looked to see a flaming sword in his hands. He smirked and turned to the horde of Shadows.

"Alright, let's do this!" he shouted at the Shadows. He dashed towards them, swinging his blade. He cleaved through them like a hot knife through literally anything. The rush of combat, the sound of weapons clashing. It felt  _ exhilarating _ . 

He leapt back a few feet away from a sword swinging towards his head and was surrounded. He slammed his blade into the and pulled out his guns. He then started to fire every which way, cutting down swaths of Shadows. He then grabbed the sword and charged towards them, hacking, slashing, and the occasional boot to the head, leaving a trail of cinders and bodies in his wake.

Now, in the silent aftermath of the chaos, he, oddly enough, felt at peace. He then noticed, off to the distance, the sound of thunder and the faint smell of ozone. He was suddenly grasped by the hands of exhaustion. He stumbled forward before finally collapsing.


	7. Exploring the Castle

**(4/14 Afternoon)**

Drake was in class, caught up in his thoughts and only barely listening when, all of a sudden, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He secretly took out his phone as to not get in trouble.

**Ryj:** So, abt witnesses...

**Ryj:** I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki.

**Ren:** Since she's with Kamoshida?

**Ryj:** No, that ain't why.

_ 'Seriously, just who the hell is this Takamaki chick?!' _ he thought, gritting his teeth because he's feeling out of the loop.

**Drk:** Who the hell's Takamaki?!

**Ren:** The girl you were staring at like you saw a goddess a few days ago. 

If looks could kill, the glare that he was currently giving Ren would disintegrate him on the spot. 

**Drk:** Ren. Shut.

**Ryj:** Anyways, back on topic. 

**Ryj:** Ya know how we didn't get shit outta the volleyball team?

**Drk:** Or anyone else for that matter.

**Ryj:** ?

**Ren:** ?

**Drk:** Tried asking around. Either denied it, passed it off as a rumour, or just ran away from me.

**Ryj:** I figured it'd be better to talk to someone who knows them.

He raised an eyebrow at that. What does that mean?

**Drk:** Like who?

**Ryj:** Takamaki is BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui.

**Ryj:** I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.

**Ryj:** That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.

**Ryj:** Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us…

**Drk:** No shit.

**Ryj:** Lemme come up with something else.

After that, he put his phone away and continued to be caught up in his own thoughts. Especially about that dream he had last night. What was that?

**(4/14 After School)**

Drake and Ryuji were in the courtyard, waiting for Ren. The both of them awkwardly stood around, not making much conversation. Eventually, he decided to ask the question that has been bothering him for the day.

"Hey, Ryuji? Can I ask you a question?" he asked. 

"Sure, go ahead," Ryuji answered, giving him a smile that gave a little bit of reassurance. Welp, time to make this awkward. 

"Did you dream about anything weird last night? Like, just anything that seemed... _ off _ to you?" he asked, expecting a condensing look or a blank stare. But instead, Ryuji nodded, a serious look on his face.

"Yeah, actually. I don't remember all of it, but the most I can remember is being surrounded by lightning. That's it, really. Why do you ask?" he said, giving him a look of confusion.

"I had a dream somewhat similar to that." He then explained what he remembered from his own dream, which wasn't much. 

"Hey, what's up? Did you two find anything?" Ren asked as he walked towards them. 

"What does it  _ look _ like to you? If we did, this would have a  _ very _ different atmosphere," Drake snarked, rolling his eyes.

"All of them said the same thing that Mishima said," Ryuji growled. He slammed his fist against a vending machine."Kamoshida had to have told them something!" 

"And at this point,we might have to go to him," Drake stated, getting up from the bench, "We can't go to the police. Who would believe us?" This was bad. They don't have many options for how to do this.   

"I finally found you!" a voice shouted. A black cat jumped onto the table, looking pissed. For a cat.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you! Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you." 

_ …What _ .

" That voice…Is that you, Morgana!?" Ryuji marveled. They were all shocked to different degrees, to be honest. Ren and Ryuji were surprised, to say the least. Drake, meanwhile…

_ 'What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck-' _

Yeah, his brain was running a mile a second, trying to figure out what in the name of hell is going on, because  _ talking cat, why _ .

"Uhh, are you okay? You've been quietly sitting there for a while," Ren asked, snapping Drake out of his trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was in shock due to the  _ goddamn talking cat!" _ Drake said. 

"I am _ not _ a cat!" the cat said. Drake snapped his head towards the feline.

" Really? Cause you fucking look like one!" Drake barked, grabbing Morgana by the scruff,"And if you're not a cat, then I'm the son of a goddamn mass killer!" 

They both glared at each other with such intensity, you could probably see sparks flying. Fortunately, Ryuji separated them from each other and gave the cat to Ren. 

"Okay, we should probably talk somewhere else, cause we are getting stared at," Ryuji pointed out. It was at that moment Drake finally noticed all the weird looks that he was getting. His face turning beet red, he grabbed the two and dragged them towards the stairs.

"We're talking on the roof," he stated.

**(4/14 Rooftop)**

After dragging the others by their coats, he sat on one of the desks while the rest of them stood. Morgana crawled out of the bag, looking obviously sore.

" _ Ow _ , that hurt! What was that for!?" Morgana groaned.

"Just tell us what we need to know. You came to tell us something, right?" Drake said, crossing his arms.

 "Yeah, actually. I overheard that you're having problems with getting to Kamoshida.  _ I _ know how to do that," Morgana said.

"Wait, you know how to help us with Kamoshida?!" Ryuji said, shocked. Drake rolled his eyes at his reaction. Honestly, why else would he be here? Cat food and yarn? 

"What do we need to do?" Drake asked. Whatever they had to do, he has probably done it before-

"You'll need to attack his castle," it said.

...Scratch everything he knew,  _ that _ was a new one.

Drake stared into the void, zoning out the world as he tried to make sense of just what the  _ hell _ the cat just said. They have to do  _ what?! _ Just how the hell are they supposed to that?! 

"Okay," Drake started, "so let me get this straight: the three of us-"

" _ Four _ of us,"Morgana interjected.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't give a shit. So, all of us have to attack a castle the size of our school. One question; how on earth are wE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!?!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. Is this cat insane?! They have to storm a castle teeming with those Shadow things and god-knows-what else! That’s a suicide mission! He eventually calmed down, sighing because fuck it. He would have the idea of putting it to a vote, but he has a feeling that it would be useless.

"Ya know what? Fuck it, let's go to the castle. There can't be any dumber ideas that, right?” And so, they went left to go to the castle to investigate. Little did they know, they were watched by a certain brown eyed girl.

(*)

After finding a place to not be seen by anyone, they transported themselves into the Metaverse. They walked up to the castle, readying themselves for whatever they see and experience in that fucked up hellhole.

“Alright! Joker, lead the way!” the feline cheered, getting confused looks in response.

"... Ok, what the fuck are you going on about, cat? Why is he called Joker?" Drake asked. If they were getting nicknames, then he wanted something that would be easy to remember.

" Again, I am _ not _ a cat!" the cat-in-denial shouted,"And for your information, that is his codename. We don’t know how the Palace would react to us just shouting out our names in the open." 

_ ‘That…actually makes a good amount of sense,’ _ he thought. To be honest, he was a little curious about  _ what _ exactly that place was. Whenever he tried to make sense of it, he only ended up with an even bigger headache than he had before. 

“So, I guess we're going to need codenames. Alright, I guess we're doing this now," he said, taking off his mask to rub his forehead. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "So, what codenames that we're going to get?"

"Hmm, for Ryuji, how about… Thug?” Morgana said, getting the response of a short, indignant “Hey!” and a small chuckle from both Ryuji and Drake.

“As much as I think that’s funny-and trust me, it’s fucking hilarious-maybe it should be something easy to remember. Like, I don’t know, Skull or something,” Drake suggested, shrugging. Ryuji stopped glaring at both him and seemed to take his joke as a serious response.

“That’s actually a good codename! Thanks, Drake!” Ryuji said, giving him a thumbs up. Drake, in response, simply rolled his eyes.

“Well then, you’re next. How about… Gami?” Ren said. Drake simply raised an eyebrow in confusion and a small amount of curiosity. Just what the hell is he talking about? “You know, like a shinigami? A spirit of death? I mean, I’m not gonna lie, you kinda look like one.” 

Oh. That’s what he means. That…actually sounds pretty cool. 

“How about you all call me…Grim?” Drake said. The others looked at each other and nodded, agreeing with his choice. “Cool. Now we got that out of the way, let’s go kick some ass.” They started walking towards the castle, with Ren leading the way. But as they were walking, he started to hear ringing. He stopped and scanned the surrounding area, looking around for the other source. As he looked around he saw a glimpse of what seemed to be a shadowy image of a woman with what seemed to be a rapier in one hand and a mask in the other. But when he blinked, it suddenly disappeared, like it never existed. 

_ What the hell was that?' _ Drake thought, narrowing his eyes. Whatever it was, it seemed like it was gone now.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep on standing there?! We have a castle to explore!" Ren called out to him. Drake rolled his eyes and started jogging towards the others.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Keep ya pants on," Drake said. They climbed through the opening and explored the castle.They walked through the halls, nothing else but the steps echoing through the castle. As they were walking, Drake’s mind started to drift towards the shadowy figure. Just what exactly was that thing? It seemed so foreign, yet it also seemed terrifyingly familiar. It almost looked like... _ her _ . 

_ 'No way it's her. She's dead. I'm probably just hallucinating,' _ he reasoned. Yeah, no way in hell he'd be alive. He's going crazy. 

“Hey, guys? I think we need to start running,” Ryuji said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see something that shocked him to the core. Four Shadows stood in front of them. All of them looked human, or as human as demonic looking Shadows that looked like they came from the pits of hell can look. They were all indistinguishable, except for the masks they were wearing that had a terrifyingly eerie similarity to their own.Before they could react, one of the copies dashed towards them, a longsword in hand. Luckily, they were able to dodge the strike in time.

The Shadow with Drake’s mask dashed towards him, sword raised above its head, intending on cutting him down. He blocked the strike with his machete. However, the blow knocked the machete out of his hands, sending him to the floor. He looked up to see himself, wearing the exact same thing he was currently wearing, only more advanced. The Shadow raised it's blade, intending on jamming it into his skull. The copy swung the sword down, only to be blocked by his guns catching the sword. The blade was only inches away from his head. Slowly but surely, the sword inched closer and closer to him. Running out of options, he decided to do the only logical thing. 

He kicked the copy in the crotch, stunning it. As it was in pain from getting kicked in the balls, he dashed towards his machete. But before he could get any closer, he felt a sharp and immense pain go through his body. He looked down to see a sword in his chest. And with a resounding gunshot, the world went black.


	8. Battle Between Ice and Fire

Drake's eyes fluttered open to a dark and endless void. He looked around, seeing nothing for what seemed to be miles.

_ 'Huh. So this is what death is like,' _ he thought, resigning himself to the dark. He then started to hear something. Something that seems oddly familiar. He started to walk towards the sound, almost entranced by it. As he walked towards it, he started to see a faint blue glow and smelt the faint scent of metal mixed with, oddly enough, coffee and vanilla. Knowing only one person who smells like that, he started to pick up speed, eventually sprinting towards it. 

_ ‘Please, if any god is listening, let this be real,’ _ he thought frantically. As he was running towards it, the scenery started to change around him. It started to change into a giant hall, almost resembling a open-floor cathedral. 

Light was pouring through the stained windows, shining on a familiar white-haired girl. When he laid his eyes on her, relief washed over him.

_ ‘Weiss, you’re okay,’ _ he thought. He started walking towards her, but stopped. Something felt... _ off _ about her. Like, it's not  _ really _ her, but more like a  _ copy _ of her. When she turned around, what he saw Weiss wearing a platinum mask with equal parts light blue and dark red highlights. Suddenly, he felt something heavy in his hands. He looked down to see a pair of highly customized pistols.

**_‘I have a feeling that you’re going to need these,’_ ** Red Hood said, catching him off guard. Just where the hell has he been?! And what does he mean that he needs these?

Weiss suddenly dashed towards him, rapier in hand, and thrusted it at his neck, but he jumped back, dodging the attempt on his life and gained some distance. Now getting a closer look, he noticed that she was wearing a thigh-length strapless dress with small metal plates interlocking with the cloth. He wasn’t able to admire her looks, however, as she slammed her blade into the ground, summoning a barrage of ice at him. Dodging the strike, he was suddenly hit with a pillar of flame, knocking him into the air, and was then struck by a bolt of lightning, sending pain throughout his entire body. Letting out a scream of pain, he fell to the ground, slamming into the ground and creating a small crater.

 He slowly got up from the crater, bloodied and bruised all over, with slight burn marks on certain parts of his body. Not given the chance to even blink, he was kicked in the stomach, sending him back a couple dozen feet. He tried to get up from the kick, but was unable to as he felt an immense weight on his body. Struggling to even lift his head, he looked up to see the tip of a rapier coming at his head. He grimaced, expecting to feel the pain of, you know, being stabbed in the head, but instead felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see a copy of himself, standing in front of him, wearing a black leather jacket over a combat vest, a pair of spiked leather gloves, and a pair of combat boots.

**_“So, you’re just going to give up? You seek redemption for your sins, yet you crave the relief of death,”_ ** the copy said in a guttural voice as he started to feel a burning pain in his body.  **_“Those you loved have died. So you, acting out of rage and grief, became a so-called ‘bringer of justice’. After seeing the error of your ways, you want to be redeemed, correct?”_ ** Leaning down, the copy cupped his face in its palm, making his skin slightly burn. **_"You crave justice for the dead and helpless, almost speaking for them. You are a spark. And I intend on turning that spark into an inferno."_ ** The copy gave him a small smile as the pain racked his entire body before disintegrating. **_"But in due time. For now, you will be cinders."_ **   The pain in his body started to increase before slowly becoming engulfed in flames. He let out a scream as the flames started to grow around his body. The flames eventually covered him entirely before bursting out, engulfing everything around him and knocking Weiss back a few dozen feet. 

Drake rose from the flames, wearing a pair of black combat boots with a red trim, black combat pants, a red leather jacket over a black hooded shirt, and a more advanced skull mask. Dashing towards her, he dodged or shot down the shards of ice being launched. In response, Weiss summoned dozens of swords before launching them at him. He jumped from one sword to another, closing in before being blasted away with a wave of frost, knocking him a couple of yards away. He shook the frost off his sleeves to see Weiss in a new outfit.

 She was wearing a short dress with a color gradation of blue to pale blue at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, a white, tulle petticoat with armored leggings and gauntlets. Dashing towards him, she went for his throat before being launched back by a wave of hellfire. He dashed towards her, throwing a flaming punch only to be blocked by a glyph. Unrelenting, he started to throw a flurry of punches, each of them blocked before being launched back. He quickly caught himself and dashed towards her before being launched back by a  _ giant fist that appeared out of fucking nowhere.  _

As he flew back, something in his head  _ clicked _ . Quickly getting up, he saw multiple glyphs behind her. Luckily for him, he wanted to try something. He pulled a pair of demonic looking pistols and, before she had time to react, unleashed a firing squad, shattering the glyphs and stunning her for a minute. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed towards her, flaming sword in hand and in a single stroke, stabbed her through the heart.

The room was silent, save for the soft sound of weeping. Looking towards her,he saw, in replacement of an old friend, was a white haired version of himself. The copy started chuckling before promptly coughing up blood. 

**_“Well then,”_ ** the copy started in a calm, regal tone, blood coming its mouth,  **_“It seems that you have defeated me. You must be glad, have the weight of another soul off your chest.”_ ** The copy put its hand on his shoulder, making him experience a kind of cool through his being.


End file.
